Cubs home streak hits 13 with another walk-off vs. Reds
The last time the Cubs lost at Wrigley Field — April 11 vs. Pittsburgh — Michael Busch finished the day hitting .118 on the season.
Since then, he's been making progress, with the batting average now up to .229. Busch's performance is a solid example of why the Cubs don't lose at home any more — players just take turns hitting hot streaks.
On Tuesday, Busch delivered a game-tying home run deep into the right-field bleachers with one out in the eighth inning. Then he tacked on a game-winning RBI single in the 10th as the Cubs beat Cincinnati 3-2 to extend the home streak to 13 straight wins. They've won seven in a row overall.
This is Busch's first walk-off hit since he hit a game-winning home run against the Padres in May, 2024.
“It's fun. We’re playing really good baseball, but tomorrow's game matters just as much as today's,” Busch said after the game. “You enjoy it, but you also flush it and get ready for tomorrow.”
The pitching version of a player heating up at the right time is left-hander Ryan Rolison. He kept the Reds off the board in the top of the 10th to earn the win for the second day in a row.
Rolison, new to the Cubs this season, had one rough outing against Arizona last Friday, but has thrown up zeros in his other five outings.
“This is the most fun I've ever had, maybe in my life,” said Rolison, who pitched for Colorado last season. “It's unbelievable coming to work every day with these guys. The team is so close and we're just out there having fun. It feels like I'm living a dream.”
Before the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell was asked if he had any winning streak routines or superstitions, since his team had rolled up 12 straight home victories.
“Not as much anymore,” he said. “It's fading. I've never been crazy about that stuff, but probably was a little more, 'Have the same day over and over again.' Now I've kind of lost the need to do that.”
There was a scary scene late in the game. After Reds reliever Emilio Pagan threw the first pitch of the ninth inning to Nico Hoerner, the pitcher hopped off the mound and collapsed to the grass. He grimaced in pain, grabbing at his left hamstring and eventually was carted off the field.
A couple of problems presented themselves to the Cubs in this game. One was Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott, who produced a 1.86 ERA in five starts against the Cubs the past two seasons. On Tuesday, Abbott didn't give up any runs over 5 ⅔ innings.
Abbott is left-handed, so the Cubs used a very right-handed lineup. Meanwhile, the wind was blowing out toward right field. Two lefty batters, J.J. Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe, hit solo home runs to put the Reds ahead 2-0.
Abbott was just the third left-handed starter the Cubs have seen during the home win streak, not counting Phillies opener Kyle Backhus, who preceded righty Taijuan Walker.
Is left-handed pitching a Cubs' Achilles' heel? The stats actually say no. As a team, the Cubs have an .830 OPS against lefties and .761 against righties. They’ve hit 32 of 47 home runs against right-handers, including Busch's off reliever Tony Santillan.
The Cubs trailed 2-0 until the seventh inning, when Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered a one-out single, stole second and scored on Alex Bregman's single.
Reliever Daniel Palencia saw his first game action with the Cubs since April 12, before he went on the injured list with a lat strain. He worked the ninth inning and gave up a harmless single.